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I'm in the market for a piano and found a 2 year old Petrof 52" upright model 131 in the newspaper. I and a friend of mine (who is an acoustician) went to see and play the piano. It's in excellent condition, plays with a touch that's a bit on the light side and sounds very nice with a great low end. I haven't had a piano technician check out at the piano yet because I wanted to try to determine what would be a fair price to pay before investing in the inspection.

What do you think of Petrof uprights? I talked to the importer and was told that the warranty was valid for the original owner only. Should this be a big issue? The price is $5500. I think it was purchased new for around $8000. Is $5500 a fair price? Thanks for the advice.

Prosper: In major metropolitan areas, $5500 is a very reasonable price for the 52" Petrof upright, assuming that it is in good condition and truly is two years old. The age of the piano matters because I don't think that Petrof always used a full Renner-assembled action in the 52" upright -- you should check the serial number to determine the exact age of the piano and its date of manufacture.

Thanks for your reply. Your info helps out a lot. Do you know when Petrof started using Renner action in it's pianos? The spec sheet the current owner gave me on the piano says that it has the full Renner action. I do have the serial number so I can find out how the piano really is. I guess I should also go to a Petrof dealer to try to get some information. Any other suggestions?

As of the time of the 1994 Piano Book, Petrof did not manufacture a 52" upright, but it did as of the time of the 1999-2000 supplement (and probably a bit earlier, if my recollection serves correctly). Your best source of information (hopefully) would be your Petrof dealer or the Petrof Distributor -- Geneva International Corporation in Wheeling, Illinois, tel. 800-533-2388 or 847-520-9970.

I had an acoustician friend of mine play and listen to the Petrof 131. He had not heard of the brand before but was impressed with the sound, especially the low end. I had a piano technician inspect the piano and he said it was in brand new condition. He mentioned that he sees new pianos on show room floors that have more wear.

After brief negotiations with the current owner I have secured a price of $4800 (she was originally asking $5500.) So, it seems like I'm getting an almost $10,000 new retail piano for less than half the price. Thanks for your help!

Having worked for Geneva International doing warrenty repairs on pianos, I can highly recommend a Petrof, but have a tech check the tightness of the tuning pins. Some have loose pins. (true with many European pianos) The Petrof vertical action is a pretty good one, but the Renner is better. Open up the piano case and look for the Renner name. Renner puts their name on the hammer rail and on the hammers. The price is a good one.

Bob,I'm pretty sure the Petrof I have purchased (the 52" upright, model 131) has full Renner action. The tech that inspected at the piano before I decided to buy it turned a few of the tuning pins and said they were fine. Why is it that Petrofs and other European pianos have loose tuning pins?Prosper

There is no such thing as "European" pianosany more than Mercedes, Lada, Yugos, BMW,or Ferrari are simply "European" cars....The case of "loose" or "inconsistent" pinsrelates strongly to one or perhaps two makesover there, not - to the best of my knowledgeto "European" in general. Related to PRESENTpianos,please, not the poor examples of old,to be restored examples in someone's workshop

As a dealer I have to be careful about otherdealer's brands and the frequently observedgeneralizations about all existing brands.I can truthfully tell you that none of the German brands I know have pin torque problems

Estonia grands,especially with 6'3's have had some inconsistencies in the early 90'swhen Delignit pinblocks were drilled eithertoo fast or the drillbit wasn't changed oftenenough. Instead of denying this problem, thecompany has fully addressed the issue and nowoffers consistently tight pins in all of their models! Remember, if in doubt, have a tech check on the particular make/modelyou like to purchase. Good luck!